Improved knapsack



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" NITEDN STATES PATENT ANTOINE PERRIN, 0F PARIS, FRANCE.

IMPROVED KNAPsACK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 48,246, dated June 13,1865.

l To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTOINE PERRIN,ot' Paris, in the Empire of France,have invented a newand Improved System of Military andA The saidinvention relates to a new article of dress which may be used incombination or The new article of dress consists of a rectanf gular orother conveniently shaped piece of water-proof or other fabric ormaterial provided in the center with an opening, through which the headof the wearer is to be passed, such opening being closed when not wornby a loose ap and a strap and a buckle; but when required to be adjustedon the person the loose flap is turned back so as to expose the opening,and is securedn its open position by the same strap and another buckleor hook, as preferred.

y To one end of the piece of cloth or other fabric is attached in anyconvenient manner, or made so as to form a part thereof, a bag,knapsack, or wallet provided'with a strap and buckle to pass round` thewaist, and conne the dress to the body of the wearer. When being wornthe one part of the piece of cloth or other fabric covers the chest,while the other part with the bag attached covers the back and loins,the whole with the bag, knapsack, or wallet being supported from theshoulders.

When not intended to be worn the cloth is folded up by turning over thetwo sides to the middle and then folding the middle portion and the twosides and confining the whole in a compact state by means of strapsattached theretoforthepurpose. Theabsenceof sleeves gives a perfectfreedom to the arms and admits of the dress being readily put on andtaken off.

When used in the army or navy this dress `may be made to serve as aspecies of cuirass or breast-plate. By unfolding the cloth and laying itdistended upon the ground a dry sleeping or sitting surface is obtained,while the bag attached to one end serves as a pillow.

It is obvious that the bag may be entirely dispensed with, if desired,and in some cases it is proposed to secure a collar or loose flaps tothe interior of the opening for the head, which, when worn, may eitherbe laid down as an ordinary coat-collar or turned up so as to cover andprotect the neck and ears of the .wearerl And in order that the saidinvention may be fully understood l shall now proceed more particularlyto describe the same, and for that purpose I shall referto the severalfigures on the sheet of drawings hereunto annexed, the same letters ofreference indicating correspondin g parts in all the correspondingigures.

Figure l of the drawings represents a view of the improved sack or bagA, which does not in itself differ from the ordinary bag used byofficers for the sole purpose of carrying a change of clothes orletters, papers, or books; but it is to be observed that unless thestrap B be very wide 'the weight of the bag and its contents tends toinjure or cut the shoulder of the wearer, especially on a long march.This bag is composed of two distinct parts, the one, A, which does notfold up and which forms the bag or sack proper, the other, C, which, onthe contrary, opens out, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to form a species ofcarpet or Hoor-cover upon which the user may sit or recline at fulllength, employing the bag A as a pillow. When packing it for a journeythe sides C C" are to be folded over onto the middle part, C, which partis then to be folded or rolled up and secured by straps provided for`the purpose. When required to be worn as a protection against' theweather the part G is to be unfolded, and in the center thereof will befound an opening, D, which is ordinarily concealed by the movable flap dfixed by the loop or strap f to the button e, which is secured to theback. of the cloth or fabric C. The loop f is to be unfastened, and themovable ap" l turned back behind the fabric U, where it is secured bythe button g and loopf, thus exposing an opening, D, through which thehead of the wearer is to be introduced, so that the sack or bag Amayrest upon the loins, while the front and hinder portions of the part Ccover the chest, back, and shoulders without impeding the free use ofthe arms, as shown in Fig. 3.

The two extremities of the part C may obviously bepermitted to remainloose, or they may be tightened round tle waist ofthe wearer, ifdesired, by means of the strap B or of the strap h, which in this caseare connected or fastened together in the front, as shown in thedrawings, after having been passed through the ring j. It will thus beseen that the bag A will be supported in a manner least fatiguing to thewearer, since the weight is distributed over the entire surface of theshoulders.

If desired, the bag A and the covering C may be made so as to be readilyseparated in place of being in one piece with each other, 'as shown inthe drawings.

In Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 l have represented the covering C detached fromthe bag or sack A. In this case the hole for the passage of the head isof an oval shape, and is provided with a collar or flap which can beturned up,

. as shown in Fig. 7, or worn down, as represented in Fig. 6. In theformer case it is txed by cords which are tied under the neck, and inthe latter case it is attached to a button placed for this purpose onthe chest. The garment C thus disposed forms an independent cuirasswhich will be found of great service in the army, to Sportsmen, andothers who are much exposed to the inclemency ofthe Weather. The mode ofsecuring the sack A and the cloth or garment U may consist of buckles,buttons,

' straps, and other known means of attachment.

l. The peculiar combination of garment and bag, in the manner and forthe purposes hereinbefore described.

2. The peculiar construction of garmentcombined or not with a sack orbag, as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification beforetwo subscribing` witnesses.

A. PERRIN.

Witnesses:

E. SHERMAN GOULD, 0. PENsART.

